Bullfighting

Those taking part in the a bullfight are called toreros, while the person in charge of killing the bull is the matador de toros - killer of bulls

Fighters can be awarded the bull's ears, tail or hooves as a trophy

Barcelona's last bullring, the Monumental, stages 15 fights each year - each contest involves about six bulls

Author Ernest Hemingway was an admirer of Spanish bullfighting and wrote about its rituals in 1932 in Death in the Afternoon

The tradition dates back at least 4,000 years and is thought to have been popularised by the Romans

It remains popular in southern France, Portugal and some South American countries

But such large crowds have been rare at the Barcelona bullring for some time, and this dwindling support is one reason the regional parliament voted in favour of banning the corrida, our correspondent adds.

She adds that there is also a growing awareness of animal rights and, crucially, the desire of Catalan nationalists to distinguish the region from the rest of Spain and its traditions.

Bullfighting is permitted in all other regions of Spain except in the Canary Islands, which banned it in 1991.

Campaigners hope to extend the ban across the country, but they face a far tougher task in traditional bullfighting heartlands like Andalucia and Madrid, our correspondent says.

She says many people there dismiss all talk of cruelty and argue that the corrida is an age-old art form that must be protected and preserved.